Facade structure

ABSTRACT

A slip brick arrangement for use in a façade cladding system comprises a slip brick and a spacer element (20c). The slip brick comprises at least one rail-engaging groove to engage with a brick-retaining rail to be provided. The spacer element (20c) comprises a main spacer body (22c) to be positioned inside the rail-engaging groove. The main spacer body (22c) comprises a protrusion (32c) to hinder sliding of the spacer element (20c) towards the brick-retaining rail. A variant of the spacer element (20c) is made from an unitary sheet providing a main spacer body (22c) and an arm (24) extending from the main spacer body (22c) to engage in the rail-engaging groove, wherein the main spacer body (22c) comprises a lanced portion (28) providing the protrusion (32c). The spacer element (20c) helps to retain a slip brick in an intended position.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to components for the assembly of brick tile façades and to methods of using such components. More specifically the present invention relates to a spacer element for brick tiles configured to retain brick tiles more reliably in an intended position.

BACKGROUND

Brick tiles, or slip bricks, are used in modern façade construction to provide an appearance of solid brickwork. Such brick tiles are mounted onto a rail arrangement of multiple horizontally extending and vertically spaced apart brick-carrying rails. Joints between the individual brick tiles can be filled with mortar to provide the appearance of a solid brick wall.

Brick tiles typically comprise one or more grooves to engage a brick-carrying rail on which they are mounted. The grooves are located at the rear face or at one or more side faces of a brick tile, such that the brick tile front face provides the appearance of a conventional brick without grooves, in a manner allowing the brick-carrying rails to remain concealed behind the brick tile. I.e., the grooves may extend along the rear of a brick tile or along its top and base faces. As a brick tile is usually considerably shorter than a brick-carrying rail, in order to position a brick tile along the brick-carrying rail, it is usually intended to be slipped onto and along the brick-carrying rail during construction of a wall.

Some systems comprise brick tiles with a tapered insertion edge that allows a brick to be pushed frontally onto the rail arrangement, and to clip into place. This avoids having to slide a brick laterally for a long distance. However, considerable force can be required to push a brick onto a rail, which complicates assembly.

Great British patent application GB1709829.4 by the present applicant, published as GB2565266, discloses a brick-carrying rail design with sound-damping properties.

The present invention is concerned with improving certain aspects of the construction of brick tile walls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a slip brick arrangement as defined in claim 1. The slip brick arrangement is of the type for use in a façade cladding system and comprises a slip brick and a spacer element.

The slip brick comprises at least one rail-engaging groove to engage with a brick-retaining rail to be provided. The spacer element comprises a main spacer body at least part of which is to be positioned inside the rail-engaging groove. The main spacer body comprises a protrusion to hinder sliding of the spacer element towards the brick-retaining rail.

In some embodiments, the spacer element comprises an arm extending from said main spacer body, the arm constituting a part to be positioned inside the rail-engaging groove to hold the main spacer body laterally on the slip brick thereby to maintain a distance between the slip brick and another slip brick to be provided.

The arm allows the main spacer body to hook onto the rail-engaging groove. The protrusion may be on the arm. The protrusion may be on a portion of the main spacer body that is not part of the arm. In that case, the protrusion may be outside the rail-engaging groove, on a portion of the main spacer body positioned laterally of the slip brick.

In some embodiments, the spacer element comprises a generally planar surface portion and the protrusion extends away from the planar surface portion.

The protrusion extends away from the general plane of the surface portion or surface. The protrusion may be located within the outline silhouette of the surface portion, i.e. more centrally than an outermost edge of the surface portion.

In some embodiments, the spacer element is made from sheet metal.

In some embodiments, the protrusion is provided by a tab.

The tab may be provided by lancing a sheet metal portion. The protrusion may be provided by an edge of a sheet metal portion, e.g. by a bent edge. The protrusion may protrude at least as far from the plane of the sheet metal portion as the thickness of the sheet metal portion.

In some embodiments, the protrusion is integral with the main spacer body.

Conveniently, if the spacer element is made from sheet metal, the protrusion may be formed by lancing or otherwise suitably forming the sheet, to produce one or more corners or tabs that protrude away from the planar extension of the metal sheet. In other embodiments the protrusion may be a separate component mounted on the main spacer body.

In some embodiments, the main spacer body is made from spring steel.

By manufacturing the spacer element from sprung steel it provides resilient properties, helping to bias the brick into a safe position.

In some embodiments, the main spacer body is arched.

The biasing properties of the spacer element can be further improved by arching the main spacer body. For spacer elements made from otherwise planar shapes, an arched spacer body provides profile thickness perpendicular to the planar extension without requiring a thicker cross-section of the body. An arched spacer body can be considered to have a concave side and a convex side.

In some embodiments, the protrusion is located on a concave side of the main spacer body.

In such embodiments the protrusion is located on the concave side of the arch. Thereby, temporary compression of the arch to flatten it urges the protrusion out of the concave portion, or further outward, against the brick-retaining rail against which it is intended to abut. If forces act in the removal direction of the slip brick then such forces push the protrusion against a brick-retaining rail, preventing its removal. To contrast this with a situation otherwise expected in the absence of a spacer with protrusion, in that case pushing the brick against the brick-retaining rail would cause the slip brick to sit looser.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the protrusion protrudes outside the concave side of the main spacer body, i.e. beyond the volume defined by the concavity of the arch.

Thereby it can be ensured that the protrusion engages a brick-retaining rail whether or not the arched body is temporarily flattened, i.e. particularly in a rest condition of the arched body.

In some embodiments, the protrusion is located near an end of the main spacer body.

The protrusion may be located on the arm or on the main spacer body. The protrusion may be located, in the longitudinal extension of the spacer element, opposite the groove-engaging side of the arm.

In some embodiments, the protrusion provides an abutment surface opposite the rail-engaging groove whereby the arm is urged into the rail-engaging groove when the protrusion abuts against the brick-retaining rail.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a spacer element as defined in claim 13. The spacer element is for use with a slip brick to be provided, the slip brick being of the type comprising a rail-engaging groove, wherein the spacer element is made from an unitary sheet providing a main spacer body and an arm extending from the main spacer body to engage in the rail-engaging groove, wherein the main spacer body comprises a lanced portion providing a protrusion.

The protrusion may be positioned on or near the arm-carrying end of the main spacer body. The protrusion may be positioned opposite the arm. The protrusion may be positioned on the arm.

Any one or more features described in relation to the first aspect may also be present in embodiments of the second aspect. In some embodiments, the main spacer body is made from spring steel. In some embodiments, the main spacer body is arched. In some embodiments, the spacer body is arched in the opposite direction of the protrusion such that the protrusion is located on a concave side of the main spacer body. In embodiments, at least a portion of the protrusion protrudes outside the concave side of the main spacer body particularly in a rest condition of the main spacer body.

The slip brick arrangement of the first aspect, and/or the spacer element of the second aspect, may be comprised in a façade cladding system. In embodiments, the spacer element of the first aspect is provided without a slip brick.

In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, there is disclosed a façade cladding system. The façade cladding system comprises a slip brick arrangement according to any one of the embodiments of the first aspect and/or a spacer element according to any one of the embodiments of the second aspect.

It will be understood that a façade cladding system is typically installed on an underlying support or backing structure.

The slip brick arrangement of the first aspect, using the spacer element of the second aspect, allows slip bricks with grooves along their elongate dimension to be installed vertically, i.e. such that the brick-retaining rails are oriented vertically and such that the rail-engaging grooves are oriented vertically. The secure retention of the slip bricks no longer relies only on the mass of the slip brick to prevent a slip brick from falling out of the rail.

Surprisingly, the retention provided by the spacer element of the invention also allows slip bricks to be installed horizontally, e.g. to the underside of ceilings or overhangs, to provide a horizontally extending façade.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the Figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view illustrating a portion of a prior art slip-brick arrangement;

FIG. 2 shows an isometric view illustrating a slip brick and a brick spacer;

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a spacer element in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the FIG. 3 spacer element;

FIG. 5 shows a plan view of a spacer element in accordance with another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view illustrating another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 shows a section of the FIG. 6 embodiment in an intended environment;

FIG. 8 shows a plan view of a spacer element in accordance with another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9 shows a side view of the FIG. 8 spacer element;

FIG. 10 shows an end view of the FIG. 8 spacer element;

FIG. 11 shows an image of a slip brick arrangement in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 12 shows an image of a slip brick arrangement in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a portion of a slip brick walling system 1. The slip brick walling system 1 comprises a series of horizontally extending, vertically spaced-apart brick-carrying rails 2, 4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d and 6 that are mounted to a backing system. The brick-carrying rail 2 is a starter rail and the brick-carrying rail 6 is a top rail. The brick-carrying rails 4 a, 4 b, 4 c and 4 d comprising a retaining profile to engage slip bricks. Many more than four brick-retaining rails may be used in a façade. The brick-carrying rails may be of the type described in Great British patent application GB1709829.4 by the present applicant, published as GB2565266.

A plurality of slip bricks 10 (only two bricks 10 a and 10 b being annotated in FIG. 1) is mounted to the brick-carrying rails 4. The slip bricks 10 are positioned between two brick-carrying rails, such that each slip brick 10 a, 10 b sits on a brick-carrying rail (here: 4 c) directly underneath, and is prevented from falling out by another brick-carrying rail (here: 4 d) directly above. Other slip brick designs may be comprise one or more rail-engaging grooves at their rear side, to connect to a brick-carrying rail behind.

To maintain a practically homogenous spacing between joints, brick spacers 8 are located in the interstitial space between two slip bricks 10 (FIG. 1 depicts brick spacers 8 that are exposed at the end of each row of slip bricks). The brick spacers are L-shaped plates that will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The joint between two slip bricks of a row is determined by the width of the brick spacers 8.

FIG. 2 shows an isometric illustration of a slip brick 10 and a brick spacer 8. The slip brick 10 is of generally cuboid shape and solid, being typically manufactured by slicing a conventional solid brick into thinner cuboids, although other manufacturing methods may also be used. Typically, the largest faces are the front face 11 and the rear face 12 (not visible in FIG. 2) of the slip brick 10. The front face 11 and the rear face 12 are generally rectangular, defining the width (length) and height of the slip brick 10. The thickness, i.e. the distance between the front face 11 and the rear face 12, of the slip brick 10 is defined by four lateral faces, comprising two longer lateral sides 13, 14 extending along the width (length) of the slip brick 10, and two shorter lateral sides 15 a, 15 b extending over the height of the slip brick 10. Conventionally, the longer lateral sides would be considered the top (lateral side 13) and underside (lateral side 14), to mimic the appearance of bed joints of conventional bricks. The shorter lateral sides 15 a, 15 b are the sides mimicking the head joints of conventional bricks. The slip brick 10 may also be installed upright such that the shorter lateral sides 15 a, 15 b are oriented as the top and underside, e.g. in a soldier course arrangement as may be used above windows and doors.

The longer lateral sides 13, 14 are provided with a rail-engaging groove 16, a first groove 16 a in one of the longer lateral sides 13 (in FIG. 2, in the top side) and a second groove 16 b in the other of the longer lateral sides 14 (in FIG. 2, in the underside). The grooves 16 a, 16 b extend longitudinally along the width (length) of the slip brick 10. Due to production tolerances and the type of material, each slip brick 10 may be unique in appearance, although it will be appreciated that the grooves 16 a, 16 b are practically evenly dimensioned in each brick to ensure the slip bricks are similar enough to be practically interchangeable, and so that they can be mounted onto a brick-retaining rail in any order. However, different types of slip bricks may be used on a façade.

The grooves 16 a, 16 b have a generally rectangular, thin profile providing a thin straight trench extending uniformly along the width of the slip brick 10, and are shaped to slidingly engage a lip constituting a retaining profile of brick-carrying rail (see e.g. rails 2, 4 a, 4 b, 4 c, 4 d or 6 in FIG. 1).

The grooves 16 a, 16 b may be located centrally within the thickness of the slip brick 10, providing a bi-symmetric cross-section (symmetric along the plane between front and back faces and symmetric along the horizontal plane between the grooves 16 a and 16 b). The grooves 16 a, 16 b may be located off-centre, closer to the rear face 12 or closer to the front face 11. By providing a groove 16 a, 16 b off-centre, closer to the rear face 12, more brick material protrudes outward, providing a deeper brick-to-brick joint space for receiving mortar material. The grooves 16 a, 16 b are slightly deeper than the retaining profile of the brick-retaining rails 2, 4, 6, to be able to work with wider tolerances and to allow a slip brick 10 to be levered onto a brick-carrying rail from the front as follows: First, the slip brick 10 is slotted from below onto, and pushed upward against, a rail above such that the first (top) groove 16 a engages the rail above, then the slip brick 10 is held vertically and allowed to drop, such that the second (bottom) groove 16 b slots onto the rail beneath. At this stage, before mortar is added, a slip brick 10 could be unseated by pushing it up. In practice this is not an issue as the slip brick 10 has sufficient mass to sit securely in place, however in practice this allows individual slip bricks to be easily unseated if necessary for lateral alignment along the length of the brick-carrying rail.

Turning to the brick spacer 8, this is a generally flat piece of sheet metal comprising a main spacer body 17 with a hook 18 extending laterally, in the plane of the sheet metal, from the main spacer body 17. The spacer element has a general shape of a letter “L” formed from a rectangular main spacer body 17 and a rectangular arm extending a portion of the main spacer body 17 to provide the hook 18. The L-shape is convenient to manufacture from sheet metal, e.g. by stamping. For instance, the L-shape may facilitate manufacturing with little waste.

The hook 18 comprises an inner edge 19 by which the brick spacer 8 can be engaged in a groove 16 of the slip brick 10 (see also FIG. 1). In particular, if the slip brick 10 is oriented with a longer lateral side 13 and its first groove 16 a facing up, the hook 18 can be engaged in the first groove 16 a such that the remaining portion of the main spacer body 17 hangs laterally along one of the shorter lateral sides 15, as shown in FIG. 1. The main spacer body provides a spacer function wherein the width of the main spacer body 17 determines the joint distance between two adjacent slip bricks 10. By manufacturing the brick spacer 8 from a flat shape such as sheet material, enough space remains in the groove 16 a for receiving a retaining profile of the brick-retaining rail 4. The brick spacer 8 may be hooked onto a slip brick 10 before it is located on a brick-retaining rail. Alternatively, the brick spacer 8 may be hooked onto a slip brick 10 after it has been slotted onto a brick-carrying rail. As the brick spacer is of planar form it can easily be pushed out of the rail-engaging groove 16 a against the brick-carrying rail for removal if required.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show views of a spacer element 20 a in accordance with an embodiment, for use with a slip brick 10 of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The spacer element 20 a comprises a main spacer body 22 a which is constituted by a generally planar, rectangular piece of sheet metal. The main spacer body 22 a is provided with a plurality (here: two) protrusions constituted by a first bent edge 32 a and a second bent edge 33 b. The bent edges 32 a, 32 b have been formed by lancing the sides of the main spacer body 22 a and so the spacer element 20 a is a unitary component with integral protrusions. FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating that the bent edge 32 a (the bent edge 32 b is not visible in FIG. 4) provides a triangular wing protruding, approximately in the lower half of the main spacer body 22 a, from the plane of the main spacer body 22 a. The bent edge 32 a protrudes from the plane further than the thickness of the main spacer body 22 a. The bent edge 32 a provides a ledge resisting the sliding of the spacer element 20 a out of a groove as will be described below.

FIG. 5 shows a spacer element 20 b in accordance with an embodiment, which is a variant of the spacer element 20 a, comprising one protrusion constituted by a single bent edge 32 a similar to that of the spacer element 20 a provided in a main spacer body 22 b. The same numerals are used for similar elements in different Figures to simplify the description, whereas different suffixes a, b, or c may be used to identify an corresponding element of a different embodiment.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the spacer element 20 a positioned in a first groove 16 a (in FIG. 6, the first groove 16 a is at the top of the slip brick) of a slip brick 10. The spacer element 20 a is taller than the depth of the first groove 16 a, and so a portion of the main spacer body 22 a protrudes out of the first groove 16 a. FIG. 7 illustrates schematically a profile of a first brick-retaining rail 40 a directly underneath the slip brick 10 and a profile of a second brick-retaining rail 40 b directly above the slip brick 10. The second (lower) groove 16 b of the slip brick 10 is seated on the retaining profile of the first brick-retaining rail 40 a. The retaining profile of the second brick-retaining rail 40 b is received in the first (top) groove 16 a. When the spacer element 20 a is positioned in the first groove 16 a, the bent edge 30 a protrudes from the plane of the spacer body 22 a and provides a protrusion that prevents a brick-retaining rail 40 b, or a retaining profile of the brick-retaining rail 40 b from fully entering the first groove 16 a. Even though only one or a few such bent edges 30 a may be provided per slip brick 10, the protrusion practically reduces the depth of the groove 16 a that is available to receive a brick-retaining rail. This prevents the slip brick 10 from being pushed back up fully against a brick-retaining rail (here: brick-retaining rail 40 b) received in the first groove 16 a. This allows slip bricks with deeper grooves to be provided, which allows larger tolerances while providing a secure retention between two brick-retaining rails.

FIGS. 8 to 10 show a spacer element 20 c in accordance with the invention with an integral brick spacer, permitting a pre-determined brick-to-brick interstitial distance to be maintained. The spacer element 20 c is made from a flat material such as sheet metal, and has a general “L” shape comprised of a main spacer body 22 c and an arm 24 extending from one end, the arm-carrying end 26, of the main spacer body 22 c. The arm 24 is, as such, in the plane (of the sheet metal) of the main spacer body 22 c. The main spacer body 22 c is generally rectangular with a longer side constituting its longitudinal extent or length, and a shorter side constituting the main spacer body width. The arm 24 is an extension to one side of the main spacer body 22 c, and has a groove-facing edge 25 to provide a hook function. Although in its simplest form all edges of the spacer element 20 are generally straight, the geometry of the arm 24 suffices to temporarily hook the spacer element 20 c into a groove of a slip brick, during construction of a slip brick façade, such that it can serve as a brick spacer until the next slip brick has been aligned. The arm is 24 is wide enough, i.e. extends from the main spacer body 22 c sufficiently far, to limit its swivel range when hooked inside a groove 16 a of a slip brick 10. Thereby it is ensured that the main spacer body 22 c of the spacer element 20 c protrudes practically in the plane of a slip brick, parallel to the front and rear faces 11, 12 (compare FIG. 2 for elements of a slip brick 10).

The spacer element 20 c of FIG. 8 is made from spring steel and comprises an arch 21 that extends along the longitudinal extent of the spacer element 20 c. The arch 21 has an apex 23 approximately near the groove-engaging edge 25. Being from spring steel, the arch 21 resiliently resists a flattening of the spacer element 20 c.

Part-way along the length of the spacer element 20 c, the sheet material has been lanced to provide a cut 28. The cut 28 is located within the height of the arm 24, i.e. along the longitudinal extent of the main spacer body 22 c the cut 28 is located between the groove-engaging edge 25 and the arm-carrying end 26. The cut 28 comprises a straighter edge 30 nearer the arm-carrying end 26 and a bent edge 32 c distal to the arm-carrying end 26. The bent edge 32 c constitutes a protrusion extending from the plane of the main spacer body 22 c (see FIGS. 9 and 10). The distance D between the bent edge 32 c and the groove-facing edge 25 may be designed to correspond, as much as is technically possible, to the depth of the groove of a slip brick.

The overall length of the spacer element 20 c corresponds closely to, or exceeds, the height of the slip brick 10, such that the spacer element 20 c spans the distance between two adjacent brick-retaining rails (e.g., the brick-retaining rails immediately above and below) when it is located on a slip brick 10.

FIG. 10 shows an end view of the spacer element 20 c of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 shows the distal edge of the arm-carrying end 26 and of the arm 24. Due to the spacer element being curved (see arch 21 indicated in FIG. 9), a portion of the main spacer body 22 c is visible in the end view. Further, a corner constituted by the bent edge 32 c that is located on the concave side of the spacer element 20 c protrudes from the general plane of the spacer element 20 c, and protrudes beyond the volume of the concavity defined by the concave side. The apex 23 faces in the opposite direction of the bent edge 32 c because the spacer body 22 c is arched in the opposite direction of the bent edge 32 c. As can be imagined, by temporarily compressing the spacer element 20 c to flatten it, the protrusion constituted by the bent edge 32 c extends further from the plane of the spacer element 20 c. FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a configuration in which a portion of the protrusion extends beyond the concave volume in a rest position of the spacer element 20 c.

By using a spacer element 20 c with a protrusion, it is possible to create vertically extending brick arrangements of the type shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a photograph showing a plurality of vertically extending and horizontally spaced apart brick-retaining rails 40. A plurality of slip bricks 10 is located each between a pair of adjacent brick-retaining rails 40. The spacer elements 20 c are engaged, via their arms 24, in a groove 16 a of the slip brick 10. The grooves of the slip bricks 10 extend along the longer lateral side, i.e. in the vertical direction in the reading orientation of FIG. 11. Each slip brick 10 rests on spacer element 20 c engaged in a slip brick 10 underneath.

Surprisingly, when using a spacer element 20 c of the invention, the slip bricks 10 remain horizontally secure between two rails, without a risk of a slip brick 10 sliding or falling from the rails. This is because, once a slip brick 10 is inserted together with a spacer element 20 c, the bent edge 32 c reduces and practically eliminates horizontal leeway, as it protrudes from the plane of the spacer element 20 c and abuts against the retaining profile of the brick-retaining rail 40. Although the retaining profile and the spacer element 20 c may be made from relatively thin material, as the bent edge 32 c is curved away from the retaining profile against which it abuts (see FIG. 7 illustrating the bent edge 32 a protruding from the plane of the spacer element 20 a and FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrating the bent edge 32 c protruding from the plane of the spacer element 20 c) this increases the resistance when a force acts to push the slip brick laterally. Likewise, by pushing the bent edge 32 c against the retaining profile of a brick-retaining rail 40, the groove-engaging edge 25 of the arm 24 of the spacer element 20 c is pushed against the bottom of the groove 16 a of the slip brick 10, further resisting a lateral sliding of the slip brick. As such, the spacer element 20 c reduces and practically eliminates, in a vertical brick arrangement, lateral leeway for a slip brick 10 between two brick-retaining rails 40.

The distance-maintaining function of the spacer element 20 c is improved by providing an arched main spacer body 22 c, because the arched main spacer body 22 c provides a wider-profiled seating surface compared to a straight planar brick spacer.

The arrangement shown in FIG. 11 allows a large number of slip bricks 10 to be held in place, even if stacked on top of one another and spaced apart by spacer elements. The stability of the arrangement is improved by the fact that each brick is prevented from sliding laterally (i.e. towards or away from its immediately adjacent brick-retaining rails 40), which can be achieved without any fixation means other than the spacer element 20 c. By way of the spacer element 20 c, it is possible to reduce reliance on the brick mass alone for the slip brick to remain in place until mortar has been applied. The stability of the arrangement is also improved by the arched main spacer body 22 c.

It will be understood that mortar material is to be applied in the joints to conceal the spacers and rails, and to provide a solid brick wall appearance. As the only materials used are metal (rails and spacer elements), brick and mortar, this facilitates the manufacture of these components from materials with high fire rating.

Surprisingly, the retention properties achieved with the spacer element 20 a, 20 b or 20 c allow a slip brick to be installed on the underside of a ceiling or overhang. This provides the opportunity to incorporate slip bricks in horizontally extending façades.

FIG. 12 shows a single slip brick 10 installed on an overhang, between a pair of brick-retaining rails 40 that are mounted to the underside of the ceiling or overhang of a building structure. The slip brick 10 may be inserted from below, sliding the slip brick 10 sideways to allow a brick-retaining profile to engage one of the slip brick grooves 16 a, and sliding the slip brick 10 back, sideways, such that the other brick-retaining profile engages the opposite groove 16 b of the slip brick 10. It can be imagined that in the absence of further fixing means the slip brick 10 would fall out if it is pushed too far back.

The spacer element 20 c is inserted laterally, in the extension of a groove 16 a, by locating its arm 24 in the groove 16 of the slip brick 10. In this orientation, the bent edge 32 c of the arm 24 abuts one of the brick-retaining rails. Thereby, the slip brick 10 has no longer enough leeway to slide in the insertion direction. As such the slip brick 10 is prevented from sliding perpendicular to the extension of the brick-retaining rails. This practically prevents the slip brick from falling out of the rail arrangement. Although only one slip brick 10 is illustrated in FIG. 12, it will be appreciated that a series of slip bricks can be located securely between two brick-retaining rails to provide an appearance as that in FIG. 11. The stability of the arrangement may be further improved by integrating the bent edge 32 c with a brick spacer with a sufficiently long main spacer body, such that the main spacer body 22 c spans two adjacent brick-retaining rails thereby reducing the ability of the spacer element 20 c to tilt.

The arrangements described herein allow slip brick grooves with larger tolerances to be used while maintaining slip bricks safely in their rails. Furthermore, the same slip brick type, with grooves along the elongate side, can be used for both horizontally and vertically extending brick arrangements.

The spacer elements 20 a, 20 b, 20 c may be provided with a texture to improve its mortar binding behaviour.

The bent edges 32 a and 32 b, illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 as bending in the same direction, may be bent in opposite directions of the plane of the main spacer body 22 a.

The arm 24, illustrated in FIG. 8 on the right side of the main spacer body, may be positioned on the left as required.

It will be understood that the protrusions may be provided in any suitable form and/or material, also within the main spacer body.

The present invention allows bricks with generally rectangular profile to be used, avoiding a need for tapered insertion edges as is known from other systems. By avoiding tapered insertion edges, the groove walls are thicker and therefore less susceptible for damage. 

1. A slip brick arrangement for use in a façade cladding system, the slip brick arrangement comprising a slip brick and a spacer element, wherein the slip brick comprises at least one rail-engaging groove to engage with a brick-retaining rail to be provided, and wherein the spacer element comprises a main spacer body at least part of which is to be positioned inside the rail-engaging groove, and wherein the main spacer body comprises a protrusion to hinder sliding of the spacer element towards the brick-retaining rail.
 2. The slip brick arrangement of claim 1, comprising an arm extending from said main spacer body, the arm constituting a part to be positioned inside the rail-engaging groove to hold a portion of the main spacer body laterally on the slip brick thereby to maintain a distance between the slip brick and another slip brick to be provided.
 3. The slip brick arrangement of claim 1, wherein the spacer element comprises a generally planar surface portion and the protrusion extends away from the planar surface portion.
 4. The slip brick arrangement of claim 1, wherein the spacer element is made from sheet metal.
 5. The slip brick arrangement of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided by a tab.
 6. The slip brick arrangement of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is integral with the main spacer body.
 7. The slip brick arrangement of claim 1, wherein the main spacer body is made from spring steel.
 8. The slip brick arrangement of claim 1, wherein the main spacer body is arched.
 9. The slip brick arrangement of claim 8, wherein the protrusion is located on a concave side of the main spacer body.
 10. The slip brick arrangement of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the protrusion protrudes outside the concave side of the main spacer body.
 11. The slip brick arrangement of claim 8, wherein the protrusion is located near an end of the main spacer body.
 12. The slip brick arrangement of claim 2, wherein the protrusion provides an abutment surface opposite the rail-engaging groove whereby the arm is urged into the rail-engaging groove when the protrusion abuts against the brick-retaining rail.
 13. A spacer element for use with a slip brick to be provided, the slip brick being of the type comprising a rail-engaging groove, wherein the spacer element is made from an unitary sheet providing a main spacer body and an arm extending from the main spacer body to engage in the rail-engaging groove, wherein the main spacer body comprises a lanced portion providing a protrusion.
 14. The spacer element of claim 13, wherein the main spacer body is made from spring steel.
 15. The spacer element of claim 13, wherein the main spacer body is arched.
 16. The spacer element of claim 13, wherein protrusion is located on a concave side of the main spacer body.
 17. The spacer element of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the protrusion protrudes outside the concave side of the main spacer body.
 18. The spacer element of claim 13, comprised in a façade cladding system.
 19. The slip brick arrangement of claim 18, comprising a plurality of slip bricks carried between brick-retaining rails, wherein the rail-engaging grooves of the slip bricks extend vertically.
 20. The slip brick arrangement of claim 18, comprised in a horizontally extending façade. 